1. Field
The present exemplary embodiments relate to handoff technology in a wireless network such as a wireless local area network (WLAN).
2. Discussion of Related Art
Recently, the widespread use of wireless terminals, such as, for example, smart phones, has driven up demand for wireless communication networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLAN). In general, WLAN has an advantage in that a network is cheaply available and a transmission speed is fast, as compared to a mobile communication network such as a third generation (3G) network. Consequently, WLAN is widely used as a supplement or replacement for the mobile communication network.
At present, there are Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a/b/g/n standards for WLAN, but they do not explicitly describe a handoff method between access points (APs). Growing demand among users for the seamless use of WLAN on the move has been motivating an increasing amount of research aimed at smoothly supporting a handoff, even in WLAN environments.